


Wake Up, Little Laura

by queen_of_shanath



Category: The Evil Within (Video Game)
Genre: AU, Angst, Laura Survives, alternative universe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-17
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:07:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28135893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queen_of_shanath/pseuds/queen_of_shanath
Summary: AU where Laura wakes up in the year 2014 after being in a coma for...very long.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 9





	1. Good Morning, Sunflower

Air. Cold air hit Laura’s face, making her stir. Only seconds ago, she remembered the heat from the fire. How the burns on her body made her scream in terror and pain, then everything went black. And now it was cold? What was going on?

Laura blinked a few times, her blurry vision slowly becoming clearer, still slightly blinded by the neon lights around her. But she was in the barn just a few seconds ago! She rubbed her eyes, trying to move her head. Her neck felt stiff, as if she hadn’t moved it for days.

The underground she was laying on was hard and uncomfortable, not meant for a person her size. Was it a metal table? Why was she laying on a metal table? Slowly, inch by inch, she started to move her limbs, feeling the blood flowing into her fingers, her toes becoming warm again. Why wasn’t she wearing socks?

Laura looked down on herself, shock rushing through her body when she noticed that she was in a hospital gown! The fire hurt her, of course, but she couldn’t remember any paramedics or doctors, everything was just...blank. Just a few seconds of nothing.

“Hello?”, Laura called out, her throat feeling dry. Water. Water. She needed water instantly to fight the burn in her throat, how sore and hoarse it felt. Finally, her limbs felt warm and alive again, so she slowly moved to sit up.

“No! Not yet Laura!”, a voice suddenly called out, drawing Laura’s attention to it. It was a rough male voice, coming from the only door of the weird hospital room she was in. Laura managed to turn her head far enough to spot the source of the voice. A man, a few years older than her at least was standing in the doorway, burns and bandages all over his body. His face was covered in burn scars, the clothes and the lab coat he was wearing only slightly hid the bandages under his clothes. He must have been in a serious accident, Laura thought.

“Who are you? Where am I?”, Laura asked as the man approached her, looking down on her body.

“You are in the Beacon Mental Hospital, Laura.”, the man answered. Every time he said her name, Laura thought she heard his voice cracking. What a weird moment…

“Mental Hospital?”, Laura replied, confused by the answer. Why would she be in a mental hospital? Wasn’t that the hospital her parents donated to a lot? Where were her parents anyways? “Why…”

“It’s a long story, dear Laura.”, the man answered, reaching over to touch her leg just above her knee. “Your body reacted well to the skin transplants. In no time, you will look like your old self again. There are just some minor burns left on your stomach.”

What?

Burns take a long time to heal. Skin transplants weren’t done in a few minutes.

How long was she passed out?

“Okay?”, Laura muttered, the man still caressing her leg as she watched him, confusion evident in her voice. “But... who are you?”

The man stopped dead in his movement, looking up to stare into her eyes. His eyes had a weird colour, nearly golden, but what’s behind the eyes… Laura was able to notice the pain hidden beneath the bandages and eyes right away, feeling sorry for the man in front of her.

“It’s me. Ruben. Your little brother.”

What?

Laura blinked a few times, then shook her head with a chuckle, “Nice try! But Ruben is smaller than me. He is my little brother after all! I am the big sister! Now tell me, where is Ruben and who are you?”

The man who pretended to be Ruben sighed, sitting down on the metal table Laura was laying on. His hand had left her thigh, now resting on his lap as he tried to find the right words.

“Will you believe me when I tell you something only you and I could know?”

Laura shrugged, now sitting up a bit more to face the man in front of her, “Sure. Go ahead.”

“Do you remember? For my 8th birthday, we walked into the city to buy a present. I had chosen a teddy bear, big and fluffy. I loved him to death and named him ‘Cuddles’. After father found out, he gave me a beating, saying I shouldn’t ‘mess around with girly things’, and that I should ‘be a man’. Ever since, you hid the bear in your closet, and I came into your room whenever I wanted to cuddle him.”

Laura blinked in confusion once more. The information slowly dripped into her brain, and how the man only spoke the truth. The man in front of her was Ruben. Her little brother Ruben!

Laura reached out, her soft hand on his scar riddled face, holding who was once her little brother, “What happened to you?”

“A lot.”, Ruben chuckled, placing his hand on hers and closing his eyes. The feelings inside of him were going crazy. He had his sister back! Laura was alive! Alive, awake and blinking. He still had no idea how he managed to do it, but she was here. All the dreams undreamed, all the things unsaid, finally came to its climax. Laura was alive. And nobody would take her from him ever. “A lot...but we should get you going. Do you want something to eat? To drink? You know, 2014 isn’t waiting for us.”


	2. Burgers and Fries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Getting used to the year 2014 isn't easy, especially when you have been asleep for nearly 30 years.

“You know…”, Laura started, sipping on the juice Ruben had given her. The juice was sweeter than the juice she remembered - was everything in 2014 sweeter? Ruben looked up from the papers he had to work on, finishing the experiment surrounding his born again sister.

“I thought 2014 would be cooler. Flying cars. Holograms. But I really like this internet thing. And smartphones!”, she laughed, taking Ruben’s phone into her hand. She unlocked it and began to swipe around, not doing anything, just swiping. “Hey, what is Tinder?”

“Nothing for you.”, Ruben said and took his phone from her, “Laura, look, I don’t even know where to start. You are alive, and quite frankly, I am afraid of waking up from this dream.”, his voice was quiet and timid, as if he was ten years again. As if he was this little boy with the home cut hair and the suits, a size too big so they wouldn’t have to spend a lot of money on him.

Laura nodded. She put her glass down, reaching over the table to cup Ruben’s cheeks. They weren’t bandaged, making her feel his skin, burns and scraps. “Don’t be afraid of waking up, brother. I will still be here.”, she whispered, gently caressing over his cheeks as she tilted her head. “There is nothing to be afraid of. Nothing to worry. Your big sister is here.”

Ruben stared at Laura for a good minute, processing everything she had just said. Yes, his big sister was back...just with the difference that she had been dead for years, still 17, while he had aged, suffered… but he was glad she didn’t have to suffer much. Ruben stood up, walking around the table and just pulling Laura into his arms. She still felt the same, how he remembered her from decades ago. But now, she was smaller. But she’d never be his little sister.

“Ruben!”, Laura laughed and patted his back, then wrapping her arms around her brother, smiling as he held her. Ruben just sniffled into her shoulder, not believing the miracle in front of him. “Oh Ruben…”, and all walls broke. Decades of trauma, fear, griefing, and so many more feelings finally came crashing down on Ruben and the tears started to fall down his cheeks.

“Laura…”, he whimpered, voice breaking with every syllable he tried to say, holding tighter onto his sister, but also so afraid of breaking her. Every second felt like in one of the many dreams he had, distorted senses, reality flying past him when the blink of an eye felt like a year. But this time it was reality. It was his reality, and no one could take Laura from him again.

…

During the ride back to their old home, Laura looked out of the car windows, feeling like a child in a toy shop. Everything was so bright! Everything was so much! Krimson City had exploded in size, people in every stage of life walking in the streets. Ruben focused on the road, but he surely was amused by Laura’s excitement.

“Ruben? Can we get some...fast food? I want a burger!”, Laura looked over to her brother, and when he gave her a dismissing look, all she did was to pout, and he agreed.

“Fine. But don’t think you’ll get fast food every day!”

“Yay!”

Even the Elk River Village seemed more welcoming that Laura remembered while the smell of burgers and fries filled the car. Ruben drove slower than usual, giving Laura enough time to take in every scene, every new house.

And their home still looked the same.

Laura walked back into her house for the first time in decades, the familiar smell of frankincense and washing powder hitting her nose. The two headed into the dining room, Ruben bringing some plates and ketchup for them. Greasy burgers and crispy fries just hit differently when you hadn’t eaten anything for nearly 30 years.

Ruben looked up from his own meal, chuckling when he saw how Laura struggled with her burger. She had burger sauce up to her eyebrows, no clue how it got there. She looked at him, and both broke down into a laughing fit. Laura wiped the sauce off her eyebrows, laughing like mad while Ruben had his head on the table, giggling like a seal with breathing problems.

Once the two had calmed down, Ruben finally spoke up, “I missed you.”

Laura smiled, taking a fry from his plate, “I hope you did. Thirty years are a long time.”

The burgers and fries were soon gone, tiredness was setting in. Laura yawned, rubbing her eyes. “Where can I sleep?”, she asked her brother.

Ruben looked at her, nodding along with her words, “In your room.”

“My room?”, Laura asked in a confused voice, so Ruben led her there. It still looked like the day she left it for the last time. A single sunflower was blooming on her window board, her single teddy bear tucked into the sheets, seeking comfort as his owner was gone.

“I cleaned it every week. I hope for your return one day, even though, deep down, I knew it would never happen. Guess I was wrong.”

Laura smiled at Ruben’s words, getting on her tippy toes and pressing a kiss on his forehead. “Thank you, little brother. See you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow, Laura.”

And for once, both Victorianos slept a dreamless sleep. No nightmares, no fear of never waking up again. For once, the mansion was calm and quiet.


	3. Red Nightgown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first morning

In the morning, Ruben was weirdly relaxed. As if he had woken up from a long bad dream. As if he had finished a marathon without training and was now able to sit for the first time in years. The blanket weighed a ton, keeping him in bed. After the success of the previous day, Ruben was allowed to take a few days off, enough time to reconnect with his reborn sister. Reawakened? Nobody really knew. But all that mattered was Laura and her smile at the bright billboards.

Laura blinked awake in her bed. The mattress felt harder than usual - probably because nobody had laid in it for 25 years. She turned around to face the window, the first sunlights of the day illuminating the room. The rest had done wonders to her body - she had hidden how grumpy she had been the day before. An arching neck and a growling stomach. Being in a coma or dead for 25 years isn’t a cool thing to deal with.

The nightgown she was wearing was dark red, a shade similar to blood. This very colour had been her favourite before she fell asleep for a long time, and even now she was drawn to it. 

One of the reasons why she loved it so much was the fact that helping Ruben was easier with this. All the experiments he was doing, the blood spilt - it was easier to deal with a blood red dress than a white or blue one. Together they’d collect the caracasses of roadkill, taking it into the barn. Ruben would slowly cut it open while Laura wrote down the findings. The amount of maggots in the body, how many bones had been broken in the body of the animal. It fueled Laura’s interest in both humans and animals, a fact her parents had never liked. You are a lady, they had said more than once, you shouldn’t be interested in science. Learn how to deal with living children, have some of your own and be a good wife. Absolutely not.

Not in this world, and not in this life.

Back in the day, Laura didn’t have many friends. Most of the people her age saw her as a stuck up rich bitch who excels in classes because of her private tutor. In reality she was a lonely one, often spending her weekends by a river close by, watching the fish and ducks in the area. She studied, yes, but just enough to make her teachers believe she had an interest in their classes. Why would she need history when she’d much rather work with recently deceased people instead of the ones that passed away a thousand years ago?

Laura moved the blanket off her body, her feet hitting the cold wooden floor. The temperature in her room had dropped overnight, hitting her as the warm and comfortable blanket was gone. Her teddy bear had fallen on the floor during her rest. Laura picked him up and tucked him in, he deserves some sleep too. Sometimes, she was still a child at heart.

Her closet was still in the same condition as on the fateful day 25 years ago. A bit of chaos, but a chaos where she could find everything. A simple red shirt with a jeans jacket along with some high waisted jeans. Why not? Laura changed and a few minutes later she was in the kitchen, making a cup of tea for both Ruben and her. He might be 35, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t her little brother at heart.

Ruben walked down the stairs only a bit later, tired and rubbing his eyes. “Morning.”, he said, but when Laura actually replied with a ‘good morning brother’, he stopped in his tracks. The day before hadn’t been a weird dream. Laura was actually alive, standing by the oven to heat up a kettle for their tea. Two pieces of sugar in his cup, just how he liked it when he was ten. Tears welled up in his eyes once more, and with big steps he walked to his sister, pulling her into a bone crushing hug. Laura just laughed and hugged back - she hadn’t been gone for that long in her mind! What are 25 years anyways?

“Oh Ruben…”, Laura muttered when the first tears hit her shoulder, a reaction so unknown to her when it comes to her brother. From the very start, he had been a stoic little man, not a lot could get him rolling. No bully ruining his sand castle, no weird people who drag their kids away because he seems weird. Nothing ever got Ruben as shaked up as the current situation.

He cried like babies do, wailing and sobbing. Laura was finally back. All these years of torture, research, sleepless nights, locked in a basement - they finally paid of. He had restored her. Ruben had his big sister back.

“So...what happened in those 25 years I was gone?”, Laura asked before taking another spoonful of her porridge, chewing the slimy wannabe muesli. Ruben, on the other side of the table, choked on his porridge, coughing for a while until he could open his mouth again without nearly spitting it all over the table.

“...a lot.”, Ruben choked out, staring down to the bowl he was eating from. Should he tell her about the countless people he had murdered just to get an inch closer to finding the cure? The dead bodies he had to walk on to carry her dead body?

“Well…”, Ruben started, Laura’s eyes fixed on him. “Mother and father are dead. Father kept me locked in the basement for ten years after the accident. Mother thought you and I both died. Father kept me locked away. A dirty secret in the basement…”, Ruben spoke, his voice filled with resentment. Years of abuse, beatings and barely any food had left their marks on him. Out of sight, out of mind. The cries his mother was haunted with weren’t from her dead children - they were from her very real son while his father beat him. Hard wood on his bare skin, more often than not on his barely healed wounds. The lack of vitamin D caused him to grow slower and barely heal. His appearance on this very day was a memory of those times. But he was better now. At least now he could see the sun when he wanted to see it.

“Dead…”, Laura muttered, sighing sadly. She wondered why they weren’t around, but having the confirmation that your parents had died...felt like a punch in the gut. Laura sighed and shoved her bowl a bit away from her, not hungry anymore. “And father really did these things to you? I mean...I know he was quite the violent man, but going as far as beating a clearly broken child? My God…”

She shook her head, looking up to the ceiling as she was now the one fighting with tears. Waking up in 2014, having your brother grow up without you while having to face abuse in previously unheard high degrees. No friends in your age as they had grown up without you too...and the walls broke down. Silent tears rolled down her cheeks, dropping onto her blue jeans. Ruben sighed and stood up, now the one doing the comfort. His hug was just as tight as before, keeping her close and safe. And from now on, nobody would hurt Laura ever again. No fire. No God. No government. Ruben would make sure of this.


End file.
